JERUSALEM — The Jerusalem District Court panel ruled on June 25, 2026, that Benjamin Netanyahu's trial would return to Jerusalem after he completed his testimony. Hearings are scheduled to occur Sunday through Thursday beginning October 4, 2026, following the High Holy Days.

Defense attorneys raised objections regarding the accelerated pace of the trial. Defense attorney Amit Hadad stated on June 29, 2026, that the decision to expand hearing days would necessitate his team working around the clock. "We simply won't be able to do it," Hadad said concerning the proposed trial schedule. Hadad added, "If the court wants to shorten this trial, the solution cannot be to stifle us - this is a shortcut that is actually long."

Attorney Jacques Chen stated on June 29, 2026, that a five-day-a-week schedule is "inhumane, unrealistic and mismatched to any human capabilities within these time constraints." Chen also argued that the court's decision violates the right to due process for his clients, Shaul and Iris Elovich, who are defendants in Case 4000. Hadad previously stated the bribery charge needs to be removed from the indictment. "The bribery charge needs to be thrown out the window... Even you [the judges] don't know what to do with it... If the bribery charge stays, we are talking about [presenting] hundreds of witnesses," he said.

Netanyahu himself stated on June 29, 2026, "What is happening here is a massive distortion of justice." He added, "The trial is a criminal use of the justice system against me."

Netanyahu was indicted in 2020 on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust across three cases. He first took the witness stand in December 2024. The prosecution completed its cross-examination of Netanyahu earlier in June 2026, with the defense conducting limited re-examination afterward. The trial was initially heard three days a week before the judges expanded the schedule to four days a week in September 2025. The Jerusalem District Court panel overseeing the trial includes Judges Rivka Friedman-Feldman, Moshe Bar-Am, and Oded Shaham. Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman is expected to retire in March 2028.